Paper and Roses
by Witch of the West
Summary: *UPDATED* Fred and Angelina are going together, so are Alicia and Lee. How will George ask Katie?
1. SLYTHERIN QUIDDITCH PLAYERS?

Disclaimer: Sadly I own nothing  
  
For seven years they had been friends, ever since their first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They'd always paired off or went in trios of three boys and three girls. The girls were the best Chasers Hogwarts has seen. Two of the boys were twins and Beaters. The other was the eccentric commentator for the Quidditch matches. One this particular day they were sitting at a table in the Three Broomsticks, a pub in the village of Hogsmeade. It was snowing heavily outside. Christmas was in two days; so was the now annual Yule Ball. The girls were chatting about some boy in Ravenclaw. The boys, who were eavesdropping on their conversation, were also talking about the newest prank they thought of. The mention of the Yule Ball brought everyone into the same conversation.  
  
"I can't believe the Yule Ball is in two days!" Katie Bell said loud enough for the guys to hear. "Has anyone got a date yet?"  
  
"No, not yet," her friend Alicia Spinnet said, directing her voice to the guys' end of the table. "Angelina?"  
  
"No. You Katie?" Angelina Johnson asked.  
  
"No, maybe Roger Davies will ask me, or I'll ask him. He has been really nice to me lately."  
  
"Davies?" George Weasley asked. "You'd go to the Ball with Davies?"  
  
"Yeah, unless someone else asks me but no one has yet so I should find him soon and ask him. You girls want to come?"  
  
"Sure Katie. Angelina?"  
  
"Might as well find someone too." All three girls stood up as the boys watched. They grabbed their cloaks and put them on, still discussing potential dates.  
  
"How about Adrian Pucey?" Alicia asked.  
  
"I was thinking about Terrance Higgs myself," Angelina commented.  
  
"Maybe you guys are right, maybe we should go with Slytherin Quidditch players. Everyone else seems taken," Katie said. The girls left the guys dumbstruck. Outside the girls changed the subject. Little did they know that the boys had followed.  
  
"I feel really bad, did you see their faces?" Katie asked.  
  
"You won't feel so bad if George asks you to the ball, will you?" Alicia asked.  
  
"You'll be saying the same for Lee," Angelina pointed out.  
  
"And you for Fred," Katie retorted. All three were even. The boys looked if possible, even more dumbstruck. They followed still, silently. The girls laughed.  
  
"Could you imagine what would happen if they found out?" Alicia asked.  
  
"They'd be so dumbfounded. Especially if they were walking right behind us and listening to every word we said. Like that would happen," Katie said.  
  
"I can see George's face if he found out Katie liked him. He'd blush so bad and he'd probably be grinning up a storm and his eyes would be all dancing and stuff like that," Angelina said. George pointed to his face and Fred and Lee shrugged.  
  
"Imagine seven years and they never found out," Alicia suggested. The girls laughed once more.  
  
"We make a pact though to never tell. It'd be too weird and probably mess up the friendship with them, okay?" Angelina said.  
  
"Okay," the other girls agreed. They talked of Quidditch the rest of the way to the castle. The boys didn't realize they had rubbed off on them considering the new topic of conversation but then realized they played Quidditch with the girls. When they entered the castle the topic hanged once more.  
  
"It's our last year. Can you believe that?" Alicia said. Katie shook her head. The boys heard a distinct sniffle from her. They figured it was from the cold until they saw two things: Katie wiped her eyes and Angelina put her arm around Katie. George mouthed 'poor Katie'. Fred and Lee nodded then winked at each other when George wasn't looking. The girls went all the way through the Gryffindor common room to the girl's staircase and to the 7th year girl's dorm. The boys however stayed in the common room. They sat in three empty chairs around a dancing fire. Neither spoke, each looked into the fire.  
  
"Huh?" Lee questioned for all of them. "Alicia?"  
  
"Angelina?" Fred asked.  
  
"Katie?" George asked. "Where did that come from?"  
  
"I have no idea," Lee said. "We can't let them know that we heard them."  
  
"No kidding!" Fred and George said.  
  
"So what are we going to do about the Ball?" George asked.  
  
"I dunno," Lee said.  
  
"We have to ask them now. It's not like it's bad for us. We'll be going with the three best girls in school," Fred said.  
  
"So we're going to go how they want to go or how we want to go?" Lee asked.  
  
"Is it different?" Fred asked.  
  
"Not for me," George answered.  
  
"Or me," Lee agreed.  
  
"Or me. So it's settled then. We ask them by dinner. Good luck men, not that we need it." Fred started to leave. "And be romantic!"  
  
"Aye, aye Captain!" George and Lee said. Fred left up the boys' staircase.  
  
"Lee what are you going to do?" George asked.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe I'll go talk to Professor Sinister. She might let me borrow the Astronomy Tower."  
  
"Good idea. See you."  
  
"Bye." And Lee left. George stared into the fire again, waiting for inspiration to hit him. He sat there in frustration, Lee had already asked Alicia and was successful. Fred asked Angelina fifteen minutes before and reached the same conclusion. George was beside himself. Dinner was in five minutes and he still hadn't asked Katie. The subject of his frustration chose that moment to come downstairs and join the five of them.  
  
"Guys want to head down to dinner?" she asked. They all agreed. But suddenly an idea came over George.  
  
"I'll be down in a minute. Don't wait up." The rest left as George ran up to his room.  
  
A/N: Well now my hands hurt from typing that much. I'm thinking of three worded chapters (tell me what you think). Anyways, I like Katie/George, Angelina/Fred and Alicia/Lee pairings. So, how will George ask Katie to the Ball? And will Fred and Angelina try to kill everyone by dancing very exuberantly? We, or you will find out next chapter (hehehe, I already know. cause I wrote it. never mind). Please review! 


	2. Yellow, Red and Seven

Chapter 2:  
  
"He didn't even show up to dinner. Do you think he's okay Alicia?" Katie asked. She, Alicia and Angelina entered the common room after Fred and Lee.  
  
"I'm sure he's fine Katie. But maybe you should check his room," Alicia said. Katie nodded and headed up the stairs, Alicia high-fived Angelina. George had turned up at dinner. Katie was in the bathroom so she didn't see him.  
  
Katie got to the seventh year boys dorm. She hesitated a little before knocking. No one answered so she opened the door slowly. She entered the room just as slow. It looked like George was sleeping in his bed.  
  
"George?" she asked softly as she got to his bed. Maybe he's sick, Katie thought. Then she was a piece of paper on his nightstand with her name on it and a yellow rose. She picked them up and held them as she threw George's covers to the end of his bed. Beneath the sheets were pillows. Katie opened the folded piece of paper. She read it out loud.  
  
"'Katie it's George. Go to your bed.'" Katie did as told even if she thought it was a little weird. She found nothing on her bed except another piece of folded paper and a rose. The rose was the same color as a canary. She smiled; her favorite color rose was yellow. She never told George though. She opened that piece of paper. 'Go to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.' She left her room and entered the common room in record time. Angelina saw her and smiled when the roses in her hand came into view. Katie didn't say anything as she headed out of the room and into the rest of the castle.  
  
She walked the all too familiar path to the Great Hall. She didn't even notice Professor McGonagall watching her from further down a corridor. McGonagall smiled a rare smile at the sight of the roses. Katie continued on to the Great Hall. She entered it and saw another yellow rose and piece of folded paper. She smiled yet again. She sat down at the table to pick the paper up. 'I know you're wondering why you are wandering all over the castle, following these directions. But in a little bit you'll be going outside. For now go to the front doors of the castle.'  
  
Katie stood up and gathered all the instructions and flowers. She walked out of the Great Hall and turned toward the entrance of the castle. She half-ran to the paper and rose lying on the ground: yellow. 'Go to the Quidditch pitch. PS: take my cloak with you. It's cold outside. The cloak's to your right on the ground.' Indeed it was. She picked it up and put it on. It was big on her. She picked up everything she'd collected and left the castle in search of the Quidditch pitch. She found it through the snow. She didn't know exactly where she would find George or the next clue. She saw the Quaffle on the ground. She went over to where it was lying and picked it up. Normally it would feel natural in her hand but she was anxious. She saw writing on the ball. 'Look at the lake. See that lone tree on the bank by the castle? Go there.' Katie made the trek to the lake. She found the tree but nothing was there. She sat down on a rock and looked out across the lake. Then she found it: two yellow roses lying next to the rock. She picked them up.  
  
"Hello," a familiar voice startled her. She looked behind her. If she was smiling before it was nothing compared to what she was doing now.  
  
"What's all this?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing much. Here," George handed Katie a red rose. "Count the flowers."  
  
"There are seven."  
  
"For every year I've known you, was your friend, your best friend, liked you, wanted you and loved you."  
  
"Why only one red one?"  
  
"I want this year to be different. Yellow roses mean friendship. Red roses mean love." Katie was speechless. "Do you like it?" Katie nodded vigorously. "Will you go to the Ball with me? If you aren't going with Roger Davies or some Slytherin Quidditch player?"  
  
Katie found her voice. "I'm not going with Davies or a Slytherin. I'd love to go to the Ball with you George."  
  
"That's what I hoped for." They smiled. "I like my cloak on you. It looks right on you. It's too big but it looks perfect on you, know what I mean?"  
  
"Of course." Katie kissed George on the cheek.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"That was the year I first liked you." George smiled.  
  
"Katie, do you want this year to be different?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Let's get back up to the castle." George took Katie's free hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. He then kissed the back of her hand. She took her flowers and clues in her other hand. George took the Quaffle. Together they walked up to the castle.  
  
The day of the Ball, Katie, Alicia and Angelina stayed in their room. They tried different charms for their hair and make-up. Angelina and Alicia were done and working on Katie. They charmed her hair to have miniature stars in it. Her make-up was natural and brought out her deep blue eyes. She looked in the mirror.  
  
"Katie, Katie, Katie. You look great!" Angelina said.  
  
"No," Katie started but Alicia jumped in.  
  
"George is going to flip when he sees you; all of the guys will." Katie blushed. She couldn't look at herself in the mirror. Angelina looked stunning in her deep red dress robes. Alicia was wearing a very flattering shade of gold. Katie was wearing dress robes of dark blue.  
  
"It's time, let's go," Angelina said. "Katie you're last. I want to see George's face when he sees you." Katie couldn't say anything.  
  
Fred, George and Lee were waiting in the Gryffindor common room. Everyone who was going had already met his or her dates except those three.  
  
"Where are they?" Lee asked. In answer to his question, Lee watched as Alicia came down the stairs. None of the boys could take their eyes off her. When she met with Lee he was still trying to pick his jaw up off the floor. Lee offered her his arm and she took it. Fred was staring at the staircase. Angelina had come downstairs.  
  
"Hi," he managed to say.  
  
"Hi. Wait until you see Katie," she said. Alicia nodded in agreement. They didn't have to wait long. Katie came downstairs shortly after Angelina. Everyone turned to look at her but she was only looking at George. He was grinning from ear to ear. She's going to the Ball with me, he thought. He met her at the bottom of the stairs. He took her hand and kissed it. He smiled at her. She smiled back and was blushing.  
  
"You're beautiful," he whispered. Katie blushed even more and shook her head. George nodded. "Yes you are. Don't ever let anyone tell you different." Katie couldn't look George in the eye without turning red.  
  
"Want to go to the Ball?" he asked.  
  
"Sure." George offered her his arm. She took it and they led the rest of the house out of the common room.  
  
A/N: That's the end. He asked her. Let me know if a continuation or a sequel is in store. But then there's coming up with an idea. Suggestions are always helpful. I knew it would end happily, cause I wrote it, hehehe. Please review! 


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